Palestine became a full member of the UN cultural and educational agency Monday, in a highly divisive move that the United States and other opponents say could harm renewed Mideast peace efforts.

US lawmakers had threatened to withhold roughly $80 million in annual funding to UNESCO if it approved Palestinian membership. The United States provides about 22% of UNESCO's funding.

The United States, Canada and Germany voted against Palestinian membership. Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa and France voted in favor. Britain abstained.

Huge cheers went up in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization after delegates approved the membership in a vote of 107-14 with 52 abstentions. Eighty-one votes were needed for approval in a hall with 173 UNESCO member delegations present.

"Long Live Palestine!" shouted one delegate, in French, at the unusually tense and dramatic meeting of UNESCO's General Conference.

Let's see what Israel and the USA are made of.

Israel needs to close UNESCO offices in Israel and tell it's staff they have 24 hours to leave Israel.

The USA needs to stop funding UNESCO.

Want to bet on either of these happening?

Since I first posted this the USA says, it will withhold funds. We will see for how long.

October 30, 2011

Jewish Taliban

Almost a year after rabbis' letter, racism strikes in Safed once again: Less than a day after four students from the Druze town of Buq'ata in the Golan Heights rented out an apartment in Safed, their landlord ordered them to pack their belongings and vacate the home.

The landlord told them he received threats from ultra-Orthodox neighbors demanding he "not rent out the apartment to Arabs."

The four tenants signed the lease agreement about a week ago, ahead of the new school year. They moved in Sunday morning before beginning their first day at university.

During class one tenant received a phone call from the landlord.

"He asked that we not return to the apartment at this time because the haredi neighbors were waiting for us. He told us to come back and clear out the flat until it'll all blow over," said one of the students, Amal Zahui.

The landlord did not deny the students' claims and issued the following statement: "It's not relevant why it happened. I just don't want to rent out apartments, neither to Arabs nor to Jews."

Zahui stressed that prior to signing the contract he did not notice any sign of objection from the landlord.

"We didn't expect that on the first day of our academic school year we'd be met with such racism. Now we have nowhere to go and I don't know where we're going to sleep tonight," he said.

One of Zahui's roommates, Jalal Amasha, said the students have no intention of filing a complaint with the police, explaining they do not wish to "make a big deal out of this."

"The landlord apologized and we're going out to look for a different apartment," Amasha said.
I am filled with anger over this.

No, I am filled with rage.

I am an Orthodox Jew, but these kinds of Jews make me sick and fill me with rage.

For these racist, ignorant, evil taliban of the Jewish world, hate me also. They hate if you did not come from a ghetto in Eastern Europe.

Yemenite, Ethiopian, Morocco, Turkey, etc., to these fools we are the same as these Druze students. For that I say thank you. You have a grouped a much better class of people together than you could ever hope to be.

I only wish I could tell these students, only some Jews are racist pigs. We all have bad people in what ever group we belong to.

MERF Appearance

For those who would like to hear me on the radio, I am very pleased to announce that I will be having a weekly appearance on the Middle East Radio Forum, the show is hosted By William Wolf.

The time of the show is 2pm EDT, 11 am Pacific, 9pm Israel, every Sunday. Please feel free to call in if you have any questions about my weekly comments. If you should happen to miss the show then you can go to the MERF web page and listen to me and other guest in the archives.

October 26, 2011

Light Unto The World

Robotic brain being developed in Israel Bookmark and Share
By Abigail Klein Leichman
October 25, 2011

A computer chip that mimics the cerebellum's coordination of body movements isn't science fiction. It's working in a lab at Tel Aviv University.

ABC News nicknamed it "RoboRat" - a rodent with a hybrid composition of a biological brain and a synthetic device.

This cutting-edge experiment at Tel Aviv University involved wiring a computer chip with a manmade segment of cerebellum alongside the skull of a rodent with a disabled cerebellum. The device, remarkably, allowed the rat to return to normal activity.

Could the same kind of artificial intelligence lead to an unprecedented level of functioning for brain-damaged people who have lost the ability to move their limbs or perform other normal activities?

Prof. Matti Mintz of TAU's Department of Psychology hopes that will one day be possible.

Knowing that the cerebellum is responsible for coordinating and timing all the body's movements, Mintz and his team wanted to see if the synthetic cerebellum - a computer chip wired to the brain - could receive and interpret sensory information from the brainstem, analyze it like a biological cerebellum does, and transmit the information back to motor centers in the brainstem.

To test this robotic interface between body and brain, the researchers taught a lab rat to blink whenever it heard a particular sound. After disabling its cerebellum, they noted that the rat couldn't perform this conditioned response. But once the robotic chip was hooked up to its brain, RoboRat was once again able to blink on cue, as conditioned.

Making up for lost neurons

As Mintz recently explained to other rejuvenation biotechnologists at Strategies for Engineered Negligible Senescence (SENS) conference in Cambridge, England, the chip mimics a range of natural neuronal activity and connects to the inputs and outputs of the damaged brain circuit. Current biotechnologies such as prosthetic limbs only allow one-way communication with the brain.

The technologies used in Mintz's experiments were developed through the collaborative efforts of other Tel Aviv University scientists and European partners. The cerebellum chip was built by Paolo del Giudice in Rome based on Mintz's lab analysis of brainstem signals feeding into a natural cerebellum and the output it generated in response. This information was used to fashion a synthetic version on a chip implanted outside the skull and wired to the brain via electrodes developed by Yosi Shacham from TAU.

"It's a proof of the concept that we can record information from the brain, analyze it in a way similar to the biological network and then return it to the brain," said Mintz.

"Currently, rehabilitation is based largely on behavioral manipulations directed at activation of brain 'self-repair' processes," he told his colleagues. "Future advances are expected to include biological manipulations such as genetic manipulation and stem cell-based therapy that promote neuronal recovery. Another feasible strategy is replacement of defined neuronal microcircuits by synthetic analogs."

And that's what RoboRat is all about.

Although much additional research is still to be done, it's possible that the Israeli synthetic cerebellum could lead to electronic implants that replace damaged tissue in the human brain. This would be a significant advance for people whose brain has been damaged by a stroke, for example.

Robert Prueckl of Austria's Guger Technologies is working with TAU researchers to model larger areas of the cerebellum that can learn a sequence of movements.

Mintz said it's even possible that someday a cerebellum chip could be added to a normally functioning brain to speed up learning or enhance memory in the elderly.

The research was funded by Israel-based Converging Technologies by ISF and Complexity Science; and the European Union's FP7 Program.

October 23, 2011

Fire the Leadership, Not This Officer

Commander of force who killed Palestinian man in West Bank during UN bid protests found to have made error in judgment. IDF: Officer had prior disciplinary record
Yoav Zitun

The IDF decided Sunday to dismiss the commander of the force which shot and killed a Palestinian man near the village of Kusra last month. The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that the decision to decommission the Haruv Battalion lieutenant was also based on a prior record.

"The officer was dismissed following several operational and disciplinary events," a statement said.

On Friday September 23, hours before Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presented his statehood bid at the UN, a Palestinian man was killed in the West Bank by an IDF force.

The incident was labeled an "operational failure." The inquiry indicated that the officer made an error in judgement when he decided to open fire at protesters in Kfar Kusra. The officer said that his team felt threatened and outnumbered in the face of 200 demonstrators, some of whom were hurling stones.

IDF sources said the incident might have enflamed the entire West Bank at what was a particularly sensitive weekend. The IDF aimed to contain the protests surrounding the Palestinian UN bid with a minimum of casualties. Forces were equipped with various crowd dispersal means including gas and shock grenades as well as odor and noise weapons.

IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz instructed commanders to take the lead on the ground so in times of conflict officers, rather than lower-ranking soldiers, could exercise sober judgment.

The IDF regarded the fact that the officer ignored these instructions as particularly grave. He will stay in the IDF but not in a combat capacity.

Three soldiers had become at risk because the non lethal methods they were using had not driven the rioters away. These rioters were throwing large stones at the soldiers. The soldiers in fear for their lives opened fire with live rifle ammo.

This rifle fire resulted in the death of 34 Issam Badaran.

My first question would be how many rounds of live fire did the soldiers fire?

Then based on the answer, they might be sent for retraining on marksmanship.

Who cares if a rioter get's killed, let me be blunt the dead guy got what he deserved.

But no, the IDF and the political leadership has to lynch this young officer, for PC peace rubbish.

Why should we give ourselves and our sons to the IDF, so they can be abused by the command of the IDF.

Mororns Meeting Morons

Seinfeld' star to address peace talks at Knesset parley
By LAHAV HARKOV
23/10/2011
Jason Alexander part of delegation of over 30 entrepreneurs and entertainers from the US visiting Israel to promote peace.

Frank Costanza may have famously asked for "serenity now" on "Seinfeld," but George Costanza, also known as comedian Jason Alexander, plans to promote peace between Israel and the Palestinian Authority at a conference in the Knesset titled "The Knesset and the Nation: A debate in the aftermath of the Schalit deal" on Monday afternoon.

Alexander is part of a delegation of over 30 entrepreneurs and entertainers from the US visiting Israel with the "One Voice" campaign. The group will be hosted by MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima), the head of the Knesset Caucus to Promote the Two-State Solution and Separation Between Israel and the Palestinians.

"After we negotiated with extremists in order to bring back Gilad Schalit, now is the time for balance and begin negotiations with moderates," Hasson said. "In light of what is happening around us in the Arab world recently, in which extremists have been strengthened, Israel must be among those who stop this trend."

The discussion will be held in a round-table format allowing MKs and delegation members equal opportunities to participate, which Hasson said was inspired by the social protests this summer.

To be truthful, I am not sure who has the bigger ego's the actors or the MK's.

What a waste of time and money, no wonder the world has such problems.

We substitute fame for substance and believe that someone who makes their living pretending to be someone else, has knowledge how to solve problems. They don't which is why they are actors and not CEO's.

The we have the losers from Kadima and Likud that want to rub elbows with the stars rather than do what they should be doing, making Israel a better place.

Yes here is the solution these morons bring,, Israel give the Palestinians everything they want.

Why not ?

I mean these stars are top of current events and know how well the Gaza retreat went for Israel.

I am sure a Juden Rein, Judea and Samaria will work out even better. Oh but I forgot, let's split Jerusalem into two again.

October 21, 2011

MERF Appearance

For those who would like to hear me on the radio, I am very pleased to announce that I will be having a weekly appearance on the Middle East Radio Forum, the show is hosted By William Wolf.

The time of the show is 3pm EDT, 12 noon Pacific, 9pm Israel, every Sunday. Please feel free to call in if you have any questions about my weekly comments. If you should happen to miss the show then you can go to the MERF web page and listen to me and other guest in the archives.

The joy that washed over Israel upon Gilad Shalit’s return was not shared by all. The outcry from the deal’s opponents was not pushed aside, despite the images of Gilad reuniting with his parents. Dr. Yaakov Hasdai, a renowned historian, believes the deal to be a failure since it bolsters Hamas while casting Israel in the role of the weaker party. Hasdai attributes this weakness to Israeli culture and its people’s willingness to sacrifice, but he also views the rescuing of its captives as a supreme moral imperative. Nonetheless, he calls on all of us to do some soul-searching.
Dror Eydar

Amid the avalanche of emotion that washed over Israel since news broke of the initialed deal that would free Gilad Shalit, little room was left for any other type of discussion. Now is the time to rejoice. The reckoning will come later. Nonetheless, I made my way to Jerusalem for a conversation with Dr. Yaakov Hasdai, a renowned historian and retired army colonel who was awarded a citation for bravery in battle.

Hasdai has carved a niche in the Israeli public's consciousness as a man of rare integrity whose sharply critical eye is unsparing of all political camps. As part of the Agranat Commission, he investigated the oversights and lapses that preceded the Yom Kippur War, a historically pivotal episode that still serves as his compass. In our conversation, he alluded to that war more than once for the purposes of comparison and for internalizing the lessons learnt.

Hasdai views the Gilad Shalit affair as a byproduct of the crisis that has befallen Israeli society, a story that bears the hallmarks of all the elements of the Israeli “situation.” He calls on the public to tone down the euphoria and enthusiasm that has taken hold of it in recent days.

“The joy is of a private nature,” he said. “As private individuals, we can feel sympathy and share in happiness but as a society and a nation, we need to look at our situation and do some soul-searching as to where we stand.”

An Israeli failure

“Obviously, this deal is an Israeli failure,” Hasdai said. “Between Israel and Hamas, there is a life-and-death struggle, at least according to their perspectives. In this struggle, they have scored a considerable number of points, of this there is no doubt.”

“First and foremost, I am concerned about the possibility that this deal will be portrayed as a victory from our standpoint,” he said. “The moment you declare yourself a winner, there is no longer a need for a reckoning. If there is failure, then there is a greater chance that there will be some soul-searching. This reminds me of the situation that took shape after the Yom Kippur War, which the political and military establishments also sought to portray as a victory.”

“Irrespective of the joy felt by the Shalit family and many other people in this country who identify with the family and with the overall sense of happiness, which is totally justified, from the standpoint of the state of Israel’s struggle for its existence, this is a failure against the most determined enemy that is facing it today,” he said.

From what standpoint is it a failure? Is it due to the very fact that Israel negotiated with Hamas?

“The failure is rooted in the fact that in the standoff with Hamas, Hamas made clear gains, both on the Palestinian front as well as on the international front, given that it has held negotiations with international players,” he said. “From Israel’s standpoint, it is a failure because it paid the price of over 1,000 convicted terrorists in exchange for one soldier. This raises great doubt as to our steadfastness in the face of pressure.”

“Another aspect that isn’t being talked about is our justice system, which is our rock-solid foundation that must be protected against any attempts to undermine it,” he said. “What is the significance of releasing terrorists when measured against the public’s faith in the Israeli criminal justice system? Why are we taking people who by dint of a legal conviction were supposed to spend the rest of their lives in jail and simply clearing their records completely? Why?”

On a formal level, the legislature allowed for the possibility of nullifying convictions by creating the option of pardons and clemency.

“Clemency is only given in certain situations. In the cases of clemency or pardons, it is determined if the judge recanted or if there are requests or recommendations, or a number of other factors. This is a solution that is used for an altogether different purpose.”

Do you see any positive aspects in this deal?

“If we get down to details, we see that there are a few terrorists who were not released, and the fact that Israel insisted on not releasing them is to its credit.”

What about the fact that Hamas agreed to the deportation of a few of the released prisoners?

“There are a lot of issues that are discussed in the media extensively. I’m not an expert on Hamas, but I do examine this issue from the vantage point of Israeli society. In its struggle against Hamas, and in this particular struggle [for Shalit], Israeli society has paid an extraordinarily heavy price.”

A dwindling generation

Still, Israeli society undertook great pains to free Shalit.

“What led to this outcome? This is not a natural thing that should be taken for granted. In the War of Attrition, there were pilots who were held captive by the Syrians and the Egyptians for three years, and there was no outcry that we needed to hurry up and release them. So you can say that in those cases there was never any fear that their lives were in danger, while in this case there was such a fear. But this is not a good enough reason. Before the Yom Kippur War, Israeli society accepted the axiom that individuals needed to pay a price in the name of the national interest. Nowadays, Israeli society does not accept this. This is a very profound change.

“First of all, it is worth defining the term ‘values,’ because in the discussion on Shalit, this issue was raised in a very one-sided manner. Generally speaking, values are a demand that we concede an interest in gaining certain pleasures in order to attain a goal or to uphold principles. There are values that obligate the individual to society. When you demand that the individual, as a soldier, sacrifice his life and enlist in the army, giving up years of his life. There are values in which society is asked to sacrifice for the sake of the individual, like human rights and freedom. A healthy society is a balanced society, one that recognizes the state’s obligation to defend the rights of the individual, while the individual recognizes his or her obligation to give up certain things for the benefit of the state and for the sake of the national interest.

“During the previous generation, it was understood that there needed to be this balance. On the other hand, in this generation, the discussion of human rights has become the dominant theme. We rarely hear talk about the obligations of the citizen and the individual toward society and the state. This is partly influenced by global trends, but there is also another reason that is unique to us. Since the first Lebanon War, the moral dimension has been injected into the political arena. This is quite a far-reaching thing.

“The demand then was to give decisive weight to moral considerations when shaping policy. This is a serious problem, because when managing policy one weighs interests. When you place moral limitations on yourself, you tie one hand behind your back. Sometimes, you tie both hands. This moral discussion has evolved and taken on entirely new dimensions. The claim then was that we needed to get out of Judea and Samaria due to moral considerations. The question of course is whether these moral claims are strong enough to justify taking risks.”

Is there not a need to take moral factors into consideration when determining policy?

“There is no doubt that moral considerations should be taken into account, but we also need to understand what the significance of this is. The history of the 20th century teaches us that tyrannical regimes that have no restraints emerge victorious when they are opposed by moral forces or states that are limited by interests. In this regard, when it comes to the Shalit deal, the argument in favor of national interest – in other words, the claim that is predicated on values - was not adequately made against the moral claim that we needed to bring him back home.”

The Gilad Shalit episode left many people torn between emotion and logic. Is it moral for a private citizen to tell the Shalit family that there are more important things than their son?

“It is certainly moral from the value-based standpoint of saying that our national interest in this case is much more significant than the private, individual interest. But you injected the issue of emotion, which is an entirely different matter altogether. Emotion can be exploited by the media to inflate these values to an intolerable point, which is what the Israeli media did. It inflated the naturally felt emotions that were carried by everyone – identifying with the party that is suffering and persecuted – and as a result of this emotional identification, the moral-value balance evaporates.”

How did we reach a point where there was no choice but to go through with the deal?

“This is also something that should get us thinking. Every clear-thinking person will ask, ‘How is it that a country which has all military means at its disposal and a military superiority that is unmatched in terms of weapons and manpower fails to wage balanced war? How did it become impossible to defeat them from a military standpoint?’

“I do take into account the fact that it was impossible to physically extricate [Shalit] from captivity, but there were economic means which could have been used to pressure the Gaza Strip, military means. We could have abducted Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. There’s a wide range of means.”

Why were they not utilized?

“In my view, the answer is that Hamas managed to create a balance of terror against Israel, the same balance that Hezbollah created in the north. Namely, those huge arsenals of missiles, Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s, that are capable of threatening large swaths of the state of Israel create a situation in which Israel is straitjacketed when it comes time to respond. It is also straitjacketed because of the signs of weakness displayed by Israeli society. Today, no government is capable of taking the risk that a military operation would lead to a repeat of what took place during the Second Lebanon War, only this time in much greater dimensions.”

Is Israeli society willing to sacrifice victims in order to ensure its future?

“This is a decisive question that also came up in relation to the Shalit deal. As of now, I have doubts about that both because of the values crisis as well as the leadership crisis.”

Who is defending whom? It seems that Israeli society is more shocked over the deaths of soldiers in uniform than citizens who are killed in terrorist attacks.

“If public campaigns always speak about bringing their kids back home, then obviously children are held dearer than older citizens. This is part of the process that I noted before. People do not understand that a young man’s enlistment into the army is a part of the value system in which sacrifice for the sake of the state and in the name of national existence is called for. Once this principle was weakened, then what we have are ‘children.’ The use of this term, which is fraught with so much significance, started with the ‘Four Mothers’ movement. Mothers and children – these emotive motifs were injected into the conversation so as to replace genuine, value-based considerations. The line that separates emotions and values has been blurred. Mercy and compassion are not values, but feelings. Sometimes, they could serve completely negative goals.

“When they used the word ‘children,’ they gave the discussion an emotional dimension. Since the value of service and obligating oneself to the state has dissipated, we were left with a herd of frightened children who were sitting in Lebanon and who quickly needed to be picked up under the wings of their mothers. As a young soldier, I would have been quite insulted by this. It sends a message that is anti-educational, one that says that soldiers are incapable of sound judgment and decision-making. We heard this line of reasoning with regards to Shalit as well. He is not a child, he is a grown person who fulfilled his obligation and paid a price that was slightly lower than that paid by his comrades who were near him [when the abduction took place].

“This is not intended to harm the love and concern expressed by the parents. These are emotions that deserve understanding, sympathy, and consideration. But these are not part of the value system that governs our society.”

Bring down Hamas

Shimshon Liebman, who headed the campaign that lobbied the government to agree to a swap for Shalit, said that the ratio of 1,000 prisoners to one Israeli soldier is indicative of our moral fortitude. What about the value of returning our captive prisoners of war?

“The terrorists were supposed to sit in jail for the rest of their lives and to pay the price for what they did. This is justice in its most supreme sense. Are we holding these terrorists in jail out of revenge? No. It is because this is the most appropriate thing – with the exception of death, from which they were also spared - given their actions. As for the 1,000:1 ratio, if they would have brought back one person in exchange for one person, would this have been so bad? In other words, is the 1,000:1 ratio a victory?”

The argument is that the ratio is a testament to values, given that we were willing to give up 1,000 in exchange for one.

“I did not say rescuing our captives has no value. But there is a price for everything. After a march that they held for Shalit, I wrote a newspaper column asking whether the marchers were willing to send the IDF to war in the Gaza Strip in order to release him? If any price is acceptable for his release, then let us go to war. The price could also be a war in which 20 soldiers die. Are they ready for this? If not, then they are not willing to pay any price.”

Now that the swap is behind us, what can we learn from it? And do you have any operative advice for next time?

“We are discussing theoretical and philosophical questions, but Israel needs to pass a law which stipulates that any terrorist who was given a life sentence, set free, and then re-arrested for planning or engaging in terrorist attacks can expect to be given the death penalty. We cannot have a situation where prison is a revolving door. This needs to be said unequivocally: released terrorists can take advantage of their second lease on life, but if afterward they return to their misdeeds, then that is the end of the road.

“The second lesson relates to a wider context. We cannot reconcile with Hamas rule in Gaza. Are we supposed to accept the fact that each time they kidnap one of our soldiers they can retreat into their protected camp that is off limits to our army? Are we supposed to wait for the next abduction in order to utilize additional measures against Hamas?”

You’re talking about toppling the Hamas regime?

“Yes.”

What? And we are supposed to take control there once again?

“Look, the situation in Judea and Samaria is good because it combines two elements. On the one hand, we have Palestinian self-rule. They run their own affairs. On the other hand, there is complete freedom of operation for the IDF. This created a positive dichotomy. In my view, we need to allow this to continue to whatever degree this is possible.”

What other lessons do you draw from this whole affair?

“There is one conclusion that many people can agree upon in their heart of hearts but they would never say so publicly, and that is that whenever a murderer is apprehended, he or she should be shot on the spot. But this is a conclusion that a civilized country cannot live with. So Israel needs to show an intolerance.

“After this affair, our responses to these actions need to be more severe than they were in the past. We need to remember that we have adversaries who do not have limitations, and if we tie our own hands too much, then we will lose the battle. Hamas needs to learn that from now on, every rocket fired from the Gaza Strip, every attempted terrorist attack will provoke an especially harsh response. We need to physically emphasize this, on the ground, that we will not reconcile with terrorism anymore.”

October 19, 2011

Samir Kuntar: Kidnap more soldiers

Lebanese terrorist released three years ago in exchange for bodies of Goldwasser, Regev says 'resistance is the only way to free prisoners'
Roi Kais

The Shalit deal proves that resistance and resistance alone is the only way to free prisoners, Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar said Wednesday. Kuntar was released in 2008 together with four Hezbollah men in exchange for the bodies of abducted soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

Kuntar called on Palestinian organizations to kidnap more soldiers in order to bring about the release of the remaining prisoners held in Israel.

In an interview with Hezbollah's Al-Nour TV station, Kuntar said: "From the first day Shalit was kidnapped, the enemy wasted its resources on obtaining a piece of information on his whereabouts. It was always confident it would get to him. This was the attitude for five years until the last moment of the prisoner exchange. But it failed miserably in a 360 square meter area which the enemy knows through and through."

Kuntar also stressed the historic importance of the deal and explained that Israel went back on its terms of the Oslo Accords – refusal to free prisoners from Israel and east Jerusalem. During the interview, Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of the deal and knew Kuntar from prison went on the air.

Kuntar was the commander of a four-man cell which took Danny Haran and his four-year-old daughter Einat hostage in Naharia in 1979. The second daughter Yael was strangled to death in her mother's arms as they were hiding in the attic. When he realized he could not escape, Kuntar murdered the father and daughter.

The Lebanese terrorist was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences and an additional 47 years in prison, but was released three years ago in an exchange deal.

Since his release, Kuntar has become a symbol of resistance against Israel and has repeatedly spoken in favor of kidnapping soldiers. "I call on the resistance groups to kidnap more Israeli soldiers and not make do with one, as there are many prisoners," he said last years in a televised speech at a conference for Gaza prisoners.

Israel is in really deep dodo

Coming to pet shops in 2012: An Israeli pooper-scooper that turns droppings into harmless, odorless ash within seconds.
AshPoopie
The prototype AshPoopie, targeted for retail in 2012.

If you have a dog, then you know that no matter how fancy a pooper-scooper you've got, after Rover's walk you are still left with a messy, smelly nuisance that pollutes the environment with sewage and plastic bags.

One Israeli who got fined for failing to pick up the droppings decided to contact Prof. Oded Shoseyov of the Hebrew University, a renowned biotech inventor, for a better solution. And Shoseyov rose to the challenge.

His novel idea is AshPoopie, a pooper-scooper with a critical difference: After it gathers the droppings, it turns them into odorless, sterile ash within seconds. All the dog-walker has to do is push a button to release an activation capsule from the cartridge inside the unit.

Recently, AshPoopie earned patents in Europe and the United States. Ramat Gan-based Paulee CleanTec, the company founded to develop this and related products, is working with engineers to finalize the design ahead of a 2012 US launch.

Apparently, American retailers can't wait to start stocking the product. "Where have you been all this time?" was the reaction most often heard by executives of the privately funded company when they introduced AshPoopie in September at SuperZoo 2011, the major US pet products exhibition in Las Vegas.

With about 75 million registered dogs in the United States and the same number in Europe, it came as no surprise that some of the biggest pet product manufacturers and retailers were clamoring to talk with Paulee CleanTec about partnerships, licensing agreements, joint ventures and sole marketing rights.

Simple to operate

Paulee CleanTec CFO Moshe Hibel points out that the latest innovations in this field, such as flushable droppings bags, don't really help the environment and sidestep the core issue.
AshPoopie
AshPoopie turns droppings into odorless, harmless ash.

"Rather than moving the problem from one place to another, we are really eliminating it completely," Hibel tells ISRAEL21c. "We tried different methods including burning, until we reached the ultimate solution. All the science behind it is done and now we are focused on the mechanism."

The easy-to-carry device contains special tablets that drop into the collection chamber via a button. Within 10 seconds, the feces is transformed into a small amount of odorless sterile ash that can be deposited harmlessly anywhere, even on plants. Shoseyov, who also owns a winery, is the brains behind this and about 15 other patented inventions.

"We are hoping to join the [Israel] Chief Scientist's technology incubator in Haifa," says Hibel. "If we are accepted, some of the components must be manufactured in Israel."

The cost of AshPoopie hasn't yet been determined, but Hibel expects it to be relatively inexpensive. A monthly supply of capsules will cost $10 to $20, depending on the size of the dog.

Freed would-be suicide bomber tells kids to be like her

GAZA - A would-be Palestinian suicide bomber freed by Israel in the prisoner swap for soldier Gilad Schalit told cheering schoolchildren in the Gaza Strip the day after her release on Wednesday she hoped they would follow her example.

"I hope you will walk the same path we took and God willing, we will see some of you as martyrs," Wafa al-Biss told dozens of children who came to her home in the northern Gaza Strip.

Biss was traveling to Beersheba's Soroka hospital for medical treatment in 2005 when Israeli soldiers at the Erez border crossing noticed she was walking strangely. They found 10 kilograms (22 lbs) of explosives had been sewn into her underwear.

A member of al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party, Biss was sentenced to a 12-year term for planning to blow herself up.

After she spoke, the children cheered and waved Palestinian flags and chanted: "We will give souls and blood to redeem the prisoners. We will give souls and blood for you, Palestine."

Biss said she had planned to blow herself up at the checkpoint but her detonator malfunctioned.

"Unfortunately, the button did not work at the last minute before I was to be martyred," Biss told Reuters.

She said she had not yet adjusted to her freedom and arose early on Wednesday for prison roll call.

"This morning I woke up in my room, wore my scarf and stood up awaiting the line-up time before I realized I was home and not in jail," she said.

Once she settles back to her routine, Biss said she plans to complete university psychology studies but added that she remained defiant in the face of Israeli warnings to act against those who return to militancy.

"We will pursue our struggle and (Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu) knows that. Arrests will not deter us from our strong battles and confrontation in the face of Zionist arrogance in the land of Palestine," she said.

Biss was one of 477 Palestinians freed Tuesday in the first stage of an exchange with Hamas that ended Schalit's five years of captivity. Another 550 Palestinians will be freed in the second stage later this year.
Surprise, who would have guessed.

October 18, 2011

Yoni On Shalit Deal

Now I am going to tell the truth about, what this deal Israel made says about us as a society. Not the fantasy that we Jews cook up in our minds, but really what this means for us.

Jews are patting themselves on the back. Wow we hold human life in such high regard we are willing to trade 1027 terrorist many guilty of murder for one Jew.

Rubbish, what a load of rubbish for we are ignoring two facts. First these terrorist are standing on 599 dead Israelis.

What about these Jews and the families that they represent, justice for Gilad, is justice denied these families.

Second our enemy says the ratio of the swap shows how weak Israel is.

So what is more important the Jews patting themselves on the backs or the Arabs stabbing us in the back?

I can't make up my mind over which of the following issues is more important. The sanctity of life or of law. On the surface it would be apparent that life takes precedent over law, But as I thought about these issues the lines became gray and it became hard to tell where one started and the other left off.

Since Israel is dealting with the release of a soldier, I think I will start with the issue of life.

The first moral issue is what is more important for the moral of the soldiers of the IDF the release of Gilad or the release of the terrorist that murdered the reserve soldiers in Ramallah, that now have been set free?

I say they both are important to the moral of the soldiers of the IDF. Soldiers need to know that Israel will do everything to bring them back if they are captured.

But I submit that Israel has not done everything to get Gilad back, and what we did is immoral and against Torah.

I will get into the Torah aspects of this later. But show me where Israel has been assassinating the leadership of the terrorist, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority to work to obtain the release of Gilad.

Then we have the issue of reserve soldiers taking a wrong turn in Ramallah and the end result was they literally were butchered. Now justice has been denied the families of these soldiers.

How can Israel look our soldiers in the face and say as a society we have your back.

We have your back if you are hostage but not when it comes to justice if you are lynched?

Let's now ask what of the rule of law?

Has Israel signed away the right to jail people that murder?

Is it just that if you are an Arab that murders a Jew, you get to go free?

What about a Jew that murders an Arab, do we have the right to place this Jew in jail?

What about a Jew that murders a Jew?

What about an Arab that murders an Arab?

Is one murder, not murder. Because it is an Arab that murders a Jew?

What family will get justice if they have a loved one murdered and who is served with a travesty of justice?

An Israeli looses their whole family in an act of terrorism, and now the terrorist is free. If the Israeli hunts down the terrorist and kills the terrorist.

Can Israel arrest this person? I know Israel will arrest this person, but do we have the moral position to do so?

Now let me bring in the Torah, and Judaism into this.

What is correct we hear many people saying that pidyon shvuyim is one of the greatest commandments. That the Jewish position is that captivity is worse than starvation or death. Which is as far as secular Jews want to take religion.

But you know the old saying that a little bit of knowledge is dangerous. It is especially true in this case.

I will post here an article from Aish, which give the torah answers better than I could, so here is the article on this subject.

"The Sages of the Mishna teach: "Captives should not be ransomed for more than their value, for the sake of the general welfare." The enactment of such a law was necessary, lest kidnapping become a lucrative trade. The Rif (Rabbi Yitzhak Alfasi), the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon), the Rosh (Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel), and the Tur (Rabbi Jacob ben Asher) all rule accordingly, as does Rabbi Yosef Karo in his authoritative Shulchan Arukh (see Yoreh Deah 252:4).

Yet, regarding a situation in which the life of the prisoner is at stake - i.e., his captors threaten to murder him if they do not receive the ransom they desire -- Torah authorities are divided: Some say that it is permissible under such circumstances to pay more than the captive's value, because a Jewish life is at stake; others, though, maintain that such a deal is forbidden out of consideration for the general good, for if an agreement is reached, the terrorists will simply step up their efforts to take additional captives.

The Maharam of Rothenburg

Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg (1215-1293 c.e.), known as the Maharam, was one of the greatest of the early Jewish codifiers. At the age of seventy he was taken captive and placed in the Ensisheim prison in Alsace, France. Emperor Rudolf I proceeded to demand an exorbitant sum for his release.

In order to understand the full significance of this act it is important to realize that almost all of the rabbis and leaders of the Jewish communities in that generation were the Maharam's students. Even the great rabbis of the generation that followed were greatly influenced by the teachings of the Maharam. The most famous of his students was Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel, known as the Rosh, whose rulings are cited extensively in Rabbi Yosef Karo's Shulchan Arukh. Because the Maharam was such an important a figure, Emperor Rudolf I hoped to extort a huge ransom from the Jewish community. Indeed, the emperor's evil scheme nearly succeeded. The Maharam's students and admirers were prepared to raise the sum necessary to free their master. They felt that though the law forbids paying more for a captive than the accustomed amount, when the captive at hand is the leading Torah scholar of the generation, and the entire community is in need of him and his Torah wisdom, it is permissible to pay any fee.

The Maharam succeeded in preventing a dam from breaking open.

But the renowned Maharam would not permit it to be paid, for he understood that such an act would only encourage the enemies of Israel to imprison other rabbis in the future and demand huge sums for their release. As a result, Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg spent the final seven years of his life in the Ensisheim prison -- and it was there that he died.

By virtue of his greatness of spirit and his self-sacrifice for the sake of the general good, the Maharam succeeded in preventing a dam from breaking open: He saved the Torah leaders of future generations from captivity, and the Jewish community from gigantic expenses which may well have caused their complete financial ruin.

The Law Regarding Prisoners in Wartime

Although, as we have said, there are opinions that when the captive's life is at stake it is permissible to pay even more than the generally accepted amount, in wartime it is forbidden to give in to any such extortion whatsoever. The rule is that in times of war one does not submit to any of the enemies' demands. In fact, even in a case when the enemy only stole some straw and hey from a border village, the response must be a strong military one. For, as soon as one gives in to them regarding a small matter, they will gain confidence and increase their efforts to strike at us (see Eruvin 45a).

Therefore, if an enemy of Israel takes even a single hostage, we must go to battle against them in order to save the captive, for if we allow them to succeed in taking one hostage they will gain incentive and step up their efforts to strike at us. To this effect we find in the Torah (Numbers 21:1): "And when the Canaanite King of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that the Israelites were traveling along the Atharim Highway, he attacked them and took some captives." According to the Sages, they took only a single maidservant. Yet, in order to save her, Israel did not suggest negotiations, but went to battle against the Canaanites. An additional example can be brought from King David: When the Amalekites attacked the town of Ziklag, taking the women captive, King David did not sit down at the negotiating table, but went to war against them and saved the prisoners (Samuel 1:30).

In a case where Israel lacks the military capacity to engage the enemy in battle it is permissible to exchange prisoners in the generally accepted fashion, but any more than that is forbidden. This is all the more true considering that today, we are in an ongoing state of war with surrounding countries and terrorist organizations, and that every concession is interpreted by them as a sign of weakness. Such submission merely leads to more attacks and more attempts to take hostages.

As a result of our receiving one Israeli hostage, scores of other innocent Israelis have been murdered.

What's more, as a result of our willingness to free large numbers of prisoners for one or two Israeli hostages, the terrorists fear us less, for they figure that even if they do get caught, they most likely will be freed eventually in a prisoner exchange deal. It should also be noted that many of the terrorists who have been released by Israel in the past simply returned to their terrorist activities, murdering more Israelis. Therefore, as a result of our receiving one Israeli hostage, scores of other innocent Israelis have been murdered.

It is important to realize, though, that at the end of the war, when a final cease-fire agreement is reached between the sides, it is permissible for Israel to release all of the enemy prisoners in its possession in turn for all of our own captives being held by the enemy -- even if we have taken many captives. The reason for this is that such exchanges are recognized as accepted practice at the end of the war and therefore not considered acts of extortion. Unfortunately, though, we do not foresee such an end to war and terrorism arriving anytime in Israel's near future.

May we merit seeing the fulfillment of our Rosh Hashana prayers, that "all wickedness will disappear like smoke when You remove evil's domination from the earth. Then You, God, will reign alone over all Your works, on Mount Zion, the resting place of your glory, and in Jerusalem, Your holy city." "

October 17, 2011

Ex-Mossad chief slams Shalit deal

Former Mossad Chief Meir Dagan deemed the Shalit prisoner exchange a "grave mistake," saying its outline is "worse than the deal turned down by the Olmert's government," Ynet learned on Monday.

Dagan's statements were made during a conversation with Meir Indor, head of the Almagor Terror Victims Association. The Almagor Association was one of the petitioners against the prisoner swap.

Dagan had told Indor that both he and former Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin opposed a very similar deal offered by Hamas in 2009. In a speech made at a Tel Aviv University conference in June, Dagan said that while he supported reaching a deal that would ensure the Gilad Shalit's safe return, "I oppose the current outline, which demands the release of 450 of the worst murderers the IDF even went after. What blood-price would we have to pay for this release?"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to give a special speech on Tuesday, once the prisoner exchange is completed.

"We are different in the fact that we do not celebrate the release of murderers," Netanyahu will say. "We are blessed with Gilad's return to his free country."

The Israel Prison Service held a situation assessment on Monday ahead of the prisoner exchange, which has been dubbed Operation Beit Hashoeva.

The IPS Nachshon Prisoner Transports Unit will oversee the transport of the 477 Palestinian prisoners slated to be released as part of the first stage of the deal. The transport is expected to be done under heavy guard.

Shvuel Schijveschuurder, who lost five of his family members in a terror attack at Jerusalem's Sbarro restaurant, said during a break in the High Court discussion on the Shalit deal, that he plans to avenge his relatives' death.

"If this last resort doesn't stop the State of Israel's deterioration, I am going to carry out price tag activities against the murderers. It must be clear to the whole world that we won't let terrorists leave the country." (Aviad Glickman)
Can any one blame him?

Where is the justice for the dead?

I want Shalit back, but.

Not at this price, it is too much pain for those that have suffered too much pain already.

The Hamas official in charge of prisoners says that the organization continues to demand the release of nine more female prisoners in the framework of the Shalit deal.

"The failure to free the nine female prisoners constitutes a breach of the deal," Saleh al-Aruri said. "We prepared the list for the Israeli side and we are waiting for an answer, after the names are submitted to Prime Minister Netanyahu." (Roi Kais)

October 16, 2011

MK Katz tells PM to order death penalty for Fogel killers

By JPOST.COM STAFF
17/10/2011
Ajmad, Hakim Awad currently serving consecutive life sentences for the murders of Udi and Ruth Fogel and three of their young children.

As the government prepares to exchange convicted terrorists for kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, Transportation Minister MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) called on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to order the death penalty for the two young Palestinian men convicted of killing five family members in their home earlier this year.

Katz said that the prime minister had told him the matter is under legal review.

The Samaria Military Court convicted 18-year-old Hakim Awad for the murder of the five members of the Fogel family – three children aged between 3 months and 11 years, and their parents, Ehud and Ruth.

Ajmad Awad, the other man who has been charged with the killings in the West Bank settlement of Itamar, pleaded guilty at the beginning of October to five counts of murder.

“I don’t regret what I did, and would do it again,” Awad told reporters in May.

“I’m proud of what I did and I’ll accept any punishment I get, even death, because I did it all for Palestine.”

Israel has only carried out the death penalty in the case of one prisoner, Adolf Eichman.
Israel needs the death penalty for terrorism.

This is one of the best ways to avoid letting murdering scum loose in prisoner exchanges.

Rabbi Lior, Rabbi Eliyahu express harsh criticism of prisoner swap deal for the return of captive soldier Gilad Shalit, say 'his blood is no redder than anyone else's,' but stress 'every effort should be made to secure his release'
Ynet

Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu expressed harsh criticism of the Gilad Shalit prisoner swap deal in which over 1,000 security prisoners are set to be released in exchange for the captive Israeli soldier.

Lior, who is the rabbi of Kiryat Arba and heads its yeshiva on Sunday published a halachic manifesto in which he explained the halachic claims against the Shalit deal, which he had previously called "a humiliation of the Israeli people," stating he does not think "anything good will come of it."

In a letter he opened with "To our brothers the people of Israel", the rabbi warned that "there is no doubt that surrender to terrorist extortion can endanger our brothers who reside here in the future, as previously happened when many of the terrorists who were released went back to their old habits and that is a real threat to the people of Zion. This is why we cannot save one and almost definitely endanger the entire population."

In the letter, Rabbi Lior specified the halachic principle that captives are not redeemed for more than their own blood.

The Kiryat Arba rabbi also warned against the true intentions of Hamas: "The terrorists have a tendency to humiliate the State of Israel…and who knows if they weren't interested in torpedoing the move and all this was only done to dishonor Israel", he wrote, stressing that "this is why there is no room to accept their demands."

Rabbi Lior noted that his statements came "in response to people's request that he publish a manifesto on the halacha's stance on the deal for the release of captive soldier Gilad Shalit", and that in spite of the objections to the deal, "it doesn't mean that every effort should not be made to secure his release.

"For example, by not holding terrorists in 'five star' conditions in prison and by preventing any aid from reaching the Hamas government in Gaza… but not by actions that could endanger and humiliate Israel."

The rabbi noted that he was happy to see the show of sympathy and joy at the news of "the return of the captive soldier to his family and the nation. This is where the basic truth of Israel's mutual trust and love are revealed in all thir scope and depth, though we must look at the event from all its perspectives and draw practical conclusions. "

'Precious to us all'

Also on Sunday, Safed's chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu also expressed his opposition to the Shalit deal. At a visit to the Jewish Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City, the rabbi said that the deal was contrary to the Torah's practices as the Torah forbids the release of murderers.

"The halachic outlook negates the release of murderers. The blood of Gilad Shalit is precious to us all and we all love him, but his blood is no redder than that of anyone else."

He added that: We unite beyond any dispute and love one another. We are strengthening this love."

October 14, 2011

MERF Appearance

For those who would like to hear me on the radio, I am very pleased to announce that I will be having a weekly appearance on the Middle East Radio Forum, the show is hosted By William Wolf.

The time of the show is 3pm EDT, 12 noon Pacific, 9pm Israel, every Sunday. Please feel free to call in if you have any questions about my weekly comments. If you should happen to miss the show then you can go to the MERF web page and listen to me and other guest in the archives.

Hundreds of condemned murderers to be released

Of the 1,027 prisoners to be released in the deal, 280 are murderers directly responsible for the deaths of 599 Israeli citizens • 450 set to be released next week, 550 to be released within two months • Netanyahu signs the agreement, seeing it as the lesser of two evils • Arab world delighted by the release, praises Hamas, Egypt.
Lilach Shoval, Daniel Siryoti and Shlomo Cesana

Hamas on Thursday published the list of the first 450 prisoners to be released as a part of the prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas in return for the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. The Israel Prison Service will publish the list on Sunday, and it is possible that there may be petitions to the High Court against the release of some of the prisoners.

The deal will see the release of 1,027 prisoners – 1,000 men and 27 women – from Israeli jails, the first 450 next week and a second group of 550 prisoners within two months. Of the 1,027, 280 are murderers directly responsible for the deaths of 599 Israeli citizens.

The list of the 450 was produced by Hamas as part of its demands. Prominent among the listed are Jihad Yarmur, a member of a terror cell that kidnapped and murdered Israeli soldier Nachson Wachsman. Hussam Badran, involved in Tel Aviv’s Dolphinarium nightclub bombing in 2001, Jerusalem’s Sbarro pizzeria bombing in 2001, and the bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya in 2002, will also be released. The driver for the Jerusalem Sbarro bombings is also on the list. Amna Mouna, a woman who seduced Ophir Rahoum into meeting her in Ramallah, where he was murdered, will also be among those released.

As part of the deal, not all the released prisoners will return to where they came from: 110 will be sent to the West Bank and east Jerusalem, 163 will be sent to the Gaza Strip, and 40 will be sent abroad. Six are Israeli-Arabs and will return to Israel and 55 will be expelled permanently from Israel.
Sorry the price is too high.

How many Israeli's are going to die because of this deal?

How many soldiers will be kidnapped?

I favor using force against the leadership of the PA and Hamas to get our kidnapped soldiers returned.

I also favor the death penalty for terrorism or supporting terrorism which would mean we would not have 10,000 Palestinians in jail today.

On the backdrop of reports on a possible breakthrough in a prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Hamas that would see the release of kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit, Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Tuesday issued an apology to Cairo for the deaths of Egyptian border guard patrol officers from IDF fire during the terror attack in southern Israel in August.

Senior IDF and Egyptian military officials, headed by Commander of the IDF Planning Branch Major-General Amir Eshel held a joint inquiry into the incident, as agreed upon by Barak and Egyptian head of Supreme Military Council, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.

As part of the joint investigation, the officials analyzed the details of the August 18 event at the Egypt-Israel border, drawing lessons to improve security along the border and prevent future attacks. A blackout was imposed on the details of the probe.

Based on the findings of the investigation, the defense minister decided to issue an official apology in which he expressed regret over the deaths of the border patrol officers.

Eight Israelis were killed in the attack, perpetrated by terrorists who infiltrated into Israel from the Sinai Peninsula. After the deadly incident, the Defense Ministry did not issue an official apology for the deaths of five border guard patrol officers, who were shot by IDF forces deployed to the border area.

At the time, Barak said: "Israel regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers during the attack at the border," but added that "the appropriate conclusions will be drawn according to the findings of the inquiry."
I am going to be physically ill.

Maybe, we should draw lots to see who will kill all the other Jews and then commit suicide.

October 11, 2011

Point Of No Return?- Or

Marwan Barghouti among 1,000 prisoners included in Shalit deal

Prisoner exchange for Hamas-held soldier to include release of notorious Palestinian terrorists, including ex-Tanzim chief Barghouti; two-phase deal to see 450 prisoners release parallel to Shalit; 550 more upon his return to Israel
Attila Somfalvi

Israel has agreed to release about 1,000 Palestinian prisoners in the framework of the agreement reached with Hamas to secure the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, news agencies reported on Tuesday citing Arab sources.

According to reports, the deal will include the release of the most notorious Palestinian terrorists, including former head of the Fatah Tanzim Marwan Barghouti, who is serving five life sentences for his role in the murder of Israelis during the al-Aksa intifada.

A source who has knowledge of the talks that led to the breakthrough told news agencies that the deal would be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, 450 Palestinian prisoners would be freed as Shalit would be released into Egytian custody while the remaining 550 would be freed upon Shalit's return home.

Israel had previously balked at Hamas' demands because some of the prisoners are serving lengthy sentences for deadly attacks on Israelis.

Other sticking points in the past have been whether prisoners would be allowed to return home to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or be sent into exile instead. Exact details of the deal were not immediately available.

The exchange would include Amina Mona, a young woman who lured a lovestruck Israeli teenage boy to a Palestinian city over the Internet, only to have him killed by waiting militants, according to Mohammed al-Barem, a leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, one of the groups that captured Shalit. He gave no other names, but said it included 300 prisoners serving life sentences.

Israeli groups representing the families of people killed by Palestinian militants have objected to a prisoner swap, saying it would be too painful to allow their children's murderers to go free.

Meanwhile, the Land of Israel lobby in the Knesset urged the cabinet to reject the proposed prisoner exchange deal. The National Union Party said the deal represents "Israel's capitulation of terror groups."
I wonder at what point we are going to reach an understanding that we have lost and Israel has reached the point of no return?

At one point in time we would not have released terrorist with blood on their hands, not any more.

Israel needs the death sentence for terrorism, which would end future prisoner swaps and would result in a cost saving to Israel.

Today we have to pay to house these 1,000 terrorist in our jails, we should have killed every single one of them.

The same way we should have killed Abbas and other Palestinian leaders if Gillad was not returned with in hours.

How many Jews will be murdered by these 1,000 that will go free?

Or maybe this is a brilliant plan by Israel.

Make no mistake that the release of Marwan Barghouti who was serving five consecutive life sentences for the murder of Israeli's is a threat to the future of Abbas as they are not allies.

Barghouti is enough of a threat that he may over throw Abbas, thus bringing to a screeching stop the effort of Abbas to have the UN declare a terrorist state known as Palestine.

If Barghouti was not enough of a threat to Abbas this prisoner swap will elevate the popularity of Hamas in Judea and Samaria (west bank). The popularity of Hamas has been rising in recent months.

Hamas takes over from Abbas prior to the birth of a terror state, it would be still born.

Israel must then target for killing I so hate the game of words calling it elimination or what ever the current PC word is for killing terrorist thugs the following people slated for release as part of this deal.

" Marwan Barghouti who was sentenced to five life sentences for his role in the murders of Israelis during the al-Aksa intifada

Abdullah Barghouti who is serving out 67 consecutive life terms for building the bombs that murdered 66 people

Ahmed Saadat who headed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was responsible for the assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi

Hassan Salama, a Hamas leader who was convicted of murdering 67 Israeli citizens

Abbas a-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel suicide bombing in which 30 Israelis were killed on the eve of Passover 2002

Ibrahim Hamed, who was found guilty of involvement in terrorist attacks that led to the death of 82 Israelis

So Israel may have created the eliminate the darling of the world Abbas and with him the threat of a state. Israel must then kill the above listed terrorist.

Israel will then have in a brilliant stroke achieved two things.

First the return of Gilad Shalit, which is a noble act.

Second if we by the release of these key individuals, start a internal fight among the Palestinians which stalls the threat of statehood.

October 10, 2011

B7452 RIP

Today we lost the last male survivor of the Holocaust that came from the Island of Rhodes.

Rhodes did not have a large Jewish population on July 23 1944 the Nazi's took the 1,673 Jews from Rhodes to Auschwitz.

Of these Jews only 150 survived.

I was proud to shake his hand every Shabbat as I entered Ezra Bessaroth a Rhodesli synagogue located in Seattle. Joe was a hero to me for what he survived and how he thrived building a wonderful Jewish family.

This picture is of 10 males from Rhodes that survived. Joe is on the far right.

Truth Is The Truth

PA minister: Palestinians to push world heritage agenda
By REUTERS
10/10/2011
Hamdan Taha says PA to seek World Heritage recognition for Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, other West Bank sites if accepted to UN agency.

RAMALLAH - The Palestinians will seek World Heritage status for Bethlehem and its Church of the Nativity if the UN cultural agency admits them as a full member, and will then nominate other sites on Israeli-occupied land for the same standing, a Palestinian Authority minister said on Monday.

Hamdan Taha, a PA minister who deals with antiquities and culture, said UNESCO membership was the Palestinians' natural right. He described as "regrettable" the objections of some governments including the United States.

Aside from Bethlehem, the Palestinian Authority has listed ancient pilgrimage routes and the West Bank towns of Nablus and Hebron among 20 cultural and natural heritage sites which Taha said could also be nominated as World Heritage Sites.

UNESCO's board decided last week to let member states vote on a Palestinian application for full membership, seen as part of a Palestinian drive opposed by Israel and the United States for recognition as a state in the UN system.

"UNESCO membership carries a message of justice and rights. Why must the Palestinians be left outside the international system?" Taha said. "I see it as crowning long efforts over the past 20 years."

He said that after gaining full UNESCO membership, the Palestinians will revive their bid to secure World Heritage status for Bethlehem, which was rejected this year because the Palestinians were not a full UNESCO member.

"This is a simple example of how Palestine has not been able to preserve its cultural heritage through the tools granted to every state in the world," Taha said.

"We will call on the World Heritage Committee to activate this application," said Taha. "We expect that after Bethlehem, other sites will follow."

The vote on Palestinian membership is expected at UNESCO's General Conference, which runs from October 25 to November 10. The Palestinians have had observer status at UNESCO since 1974.

The United States opposes the move, seeing it as part of a unilateral Palestinian bid to bypass the two-decade-old peace process. Washington says negotiations with Israel are the only way for the Palestinians to achieve their goal of statehood in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

UNESCO is the first UN agency to which the Palestinians have applied for full membership since Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted their request to become a member state of the United Nations on Sept. 23, also in the face of stiff US opposition.

Israel's ambassador to UNESCO has condemned the move, saying politicizing UNESCO will undermine its ability to carry out its mandate.

But Taha described the Palestinians' motives as "purely cultural."

"This will allow Palestine to actively participate in protecting cultural heritage in the Palestinian territories," he said.

The territories where the Palestinians aim to found their state are home to a plethora of ancient sites, many of biblical significance, as well as sites of natural importance such as the Dead Sea.

"We don't see UNESCO as a theater for confrontation but one that could build bridges," he said, adding that he had heard no Israeli objections to the bid to secure World Heritage status for Bethlehem.

Yet issues of heritage can be as incendiary as any in the Middle East. Last year, violence erupted in Hebron following an Israeli decision to include the Tomb of the Patriarchs, known to Muslims as the Ibrahimi Mosque, in an Israeli state plan to rehabilitate Jewish and Zionist heritage sites.
Make no mistake, this is an attempt to wipe out the Jewish connection to Judea and Samaria.

The Palestinians want to kill our historical and religious past. This is a crime worse than the terrorism they visit on our women and children.

The problem is that most of the world is going to reject what the Bible says about the Jewish religious and historical connection to Judea and Samaria and side with the Palestinians.

October 09, 2011

Paying the Obama price

The deadly clashes between Egypt’s Copt minority and security forces further stress what should have been clear for a while now: America’s insistence on President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster helped create a catastrophe, with Israel’s southern neighbor increasingly descending into the throes of chaos.

While tensions between Copts and Muslims have persisted for some time, such bloody clashes mark a new low in interethnic relations within Egypt. The violence followed growing attacks against Egypt’s Christian Copt minority in the wake of Mubarak’s dismissal. Needless to say, this would not be happening had the longtime president remained in power.

The growing pandemonium across Egypt is evident on all fronts. The turning of Sinai into a terror hotbed, the reckless popular raids on Israel’s Cairo embassy, and the ascent of the radical Muslim Brotherhood movement all indicate that Egypt’s situation is spiraling out of control.

However, much of what has transpired could have been easily predicted, given a modicum of familiarity with and understanding of the Middle East. However, President Obama, armed with lofty words and meaningless slogans, refused to address the region’s harsh realities, instead focusing his efforts on creating a make-belief world adorned with ludicrous notions and fancy rhetoric. Ever since his embarrassing speech in Cairo shortly after his elections, the entire region has been plunged into growing turmoil.

Mideast going downhill
While the removal of dictators is a welcome development, the manner in which it was done turned the Middle East into a worse place, not a better one. Egypt is disintegrating, Syrians are being butchered en masse, Libya faces a civil war and possible Islamic takeover, and Jordan’s moderate monarchy is feeling increasingly uncomfortable and vulnerable.

Obama was quick to issue his unworkable messages on the Israeli-Palestinian front as well, leading to a lengthy impasse in negotiations, a unilateral Palestinian statehood bid, and general despair on both sides of the divide. Not surprisingly, after lavishing residents of the region with his promising – but ultimately dangerous – words, what we mostly hear from the US at this time is silence, while the fires of the region continue to rage.

However, there is one glimmer of hope despite all: Faced with a tough reelection battle, President Obama is likely to shun the Middle East in the coming months while focusing his attention on domestic affairs. Given the damage he already caused with his reckless intervention, staying out of the region’s affairs may be the best Obama move we can hope for.

October 07, 2011

MERF Appearance

For those who would like to hear me on the radio, I am very pleased to announce that I will be having a weekly appearance on the Middle East Radio Forum, the show is hosted By William Wolf.

This week I will be the sole guest, in my role as the Prime Minister of Israel

The time of the show is 3pm EDT, 12 noon Pacific, 9pm Israel, every Sunday. Please feel free to call in if you have any questions about my weekly comments. If you should happen to miss the show then you can go to the MERF web page and listen to me and other guest in the archives.

October 06, 2011

Are You Kidding

Movement receives certificate of merit from Defense Minister Barak which acknowledges its support of employees serving as reservists
Yair Altman

The Peace Now movement has recently received a certificate of merit from Defense Minister Ehud Barak for its support of reserve soldiers.

The certificate was personally signed by Barak and Chief Reserve Officer Brigadier General Shuki Ben-Anat. "For your activity and care for employees serving in reserve duty. Your activity is commendable and greatly contributes to the IDF's fortitude and the State of Israel's security."

The certificate was issued as part of a competition which honors organizations, businesses and companies whose workers serve as reservists and are supported in this by their workplace.

Peace Now Secretary-General said in response: "Each year I get to visit the territories as a combat reserve soldier despite the difficulty in following disputable orders such as guarding settlements or outposts, working in checkpoints and conducting tours in the West Bank.

"I believe than in a democratic country, the government makes the decision and as I am willing to guard settlements with my body I expect soldiers by my side to help in future evacuations.

He added: "The Right is trying to incite against the Left and take ownership of patriotism and loyalty to the State. A loyal citizen is a person who is willing to fight for the state's future and work towards changing reality. I am glad about receiving the certificate but as far as Peace Now is concerned reserve duty is obvious and not anything out of the ordinary."

Give Them Death

Palestinians from village near Hebron confessed to throwing the fatal stone, Shin Bet says; three others arrested for stealing Palmer's sidearm after the crash.
Talkbacks (34)

The IDF and Israel Police arrested this week two Palestinians from the village of Halhul near Hebron, who allegedly threw the stone that hit Asher Palmer last month, killing him and his son as they drove near Kiryat Arba, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) released for publication on Thursday.

According to the Shin Bet, the two Palestinians confessed during their interrogation to throwing the rock at Palmer's car on September 23, which caused him to run off the road and flip over, killing him and his infant son Yonathan.

During the investigation, three additional Palestinians were arrested, who admitted to stealing Palmer's gun after the fatal crash. The Shin Bet retrieved the weapon during the course of the investigation.

Initially, the police and the IDF had downplayed the possibility that stones had been thrown at the scene of the accident near Kiryat Arba but after an Israel Police investigation, the Defense Ministry recognized Palmer and his son as terror victims.

Senior IDF officers told reporters in briefings late last month that while soldiers at the scene at the time of the accident had not seen any stone-throwing, the army and the police were looking into the possibility that a rock had been thrown from a passing car.

But settlers believe that the army deliberately mislead them and the media, so as not to further inflame the region because the attack occurred on the same day that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas delivered his speech on unilateral Palestinian statehood to the United Nations.

MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) called for spokespeople and all those in the security forces who he charged "deliberately deceived" the public to be fired.

Settlers leaders said they welcomed the IDF's determined pursuit of the killers.

National Union Party head, MK Yaakov Katz and MK Uri Ariel said that their capture proved that the stone throwing was "Arab terror" designed to kill and was not the meaningless activity of children.

Dani Dayan, who heads the Council of Jewish Communities of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip thanked the IDF and said that he hoped it planned to take this kind of threat more seriously in order to prevent future incidents.

Kiryat Arba Council head Melachi Levinger said he hoped that their capture would calm the area and restore a sense of security to its residents.

Ben Hartman contributed to this report.
Death and only Death is the penalty which will bring justice.

They like the murdering thugs that murdered the Fogel family deserve to Die.

October 05, 2011

The man who murdered our sister Ruthie, her husband Udi, and their three children, Yoav, Elad and Hadas in cold blood is now on trial. The military court judges have the permission, privilege and duty to hand down a verdict against this despicable, loathsome creature and make our people stand tall again. At this time, we demand of the legal establishment that the terrorist’s sentence would be loud and clear – the death penalty.

Some will ask, shouldn’t such sentence only be handed out in unusual cases (the Eichmann trial for example?)

However, one line connects the Nazi archenemy to the murderers from Awarta, the animals who would have likely repeated their acts even if the family involved was from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or Ramle. They would have broke into any Jewish home and done it without any pangs of conscience.

There isn’t much difference whether this is Allahu Akbar or the Final Solution. The desire to exterminate the Jewish people had hundreds of names through history and it always expresses one desire – to exterminate us.

Some will ask, would such sentence deter the next terrorists?

Yet this should not be the consideration for the penalty, because there is one truth: Did these murderers perpetrate an act for which they no longer deserve to live? The answer to this is clear to all, to our regret.

Some will ask, should a death penalty be ordered, will similar penalties be give to Jewish murderers?

Yet there was never a case where a Jewish terrorist entered the home of an Arab family and butchered everyone he saw, including sleeping children and a three-month-old baby.

Some will ask, can’t there be mistakes with such verdict?

In this case there can be no mistakes, as the killers confessed and even said that they have no regret and are sorry they were unable to kill the other children, Tamar, Roi and Yishai. Does anything still think they didn’t do it?

In our conversations with Knesset members, ministers and numerous regular folk the general sense is clear: A line was crossed, and the response should also go beyond the regular bar (and it may not be exhausted with the death penalty, but rather, could include more effective means for deterrence: Home demolitions, the expulsion of families, and so on.)

We have no hint of a personal sense of revenge. However, we feel the push of the millions of Jews murdered through the course of history telling us: “We established a state and coped with worse. Overcome the upcoming difficult period and don’t believe the fearful words uttered before every meaningful step. Because if we believe in ourselves, in our abilities and in our righteousness, everything shall be possible.”

Alichai Ben-Yishai is the bother of Ruthie Fogel. He wrote the piece on behalf of the Ben-Yishai family.

October 04, 2011

Assad, One Bullet, Do The Right Thing

In meeting with Turkish FM, Syrian president discusses possibility of NATO strike, says 'I won't need more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets to Golan to fire at Tel Aviv'
Ynet

Syrian President Bashar Assad on Tuesday threatened to set fire to the Middle East, and especially Israel, if NATO attacks Syria, the Iranian Fars news agency reported.

In a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Assad said: "If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv."

Davutoglu reportedly conveyed a message of warning from the US to Assad. The Iranian report has not been verified by other sources.

According to the Fars news agency, the Syrian president stressed that Damascus will also call on Hezbollah in Lebanon to launch a fierce rocket and missile attack on Israel, such that Israeli intelligence could never imagine.

"All these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the US warships in the Persian Gulf and the US and European interests will be targeted simultaneously," Assad said.
What does he think Israel will do?

I can promise Assad Israel will not be sitting this one out like we did during the first Gulf war when Scuds were falling on Israel.

Look fool, if you want to die.

Take yourself out where your family will not see the mess, one bullet, one pistol and the result will be the same as if you take your country to war against Israel. However you will save a lot of human suffering.

Second suspect in Fogel family murder pleads guilty

Amjad Awad, charged with murder of five members of Fogel family in Itamar massacre last March together with cousin Hakim, admits to crimes
Ahiya Raved

Awarta resident Amjad Awad, 19, who was charged with the murder of five members of the Fogel family in the Itamar massacre last March together with his cousin, Hakim, has admitted to the crimes ascribed to him – five counts of murder.

The judges in the Samaria Military Court sought to examine the primary evidence in the case before deciding whether to convict him by his own admission.

Amjad was the mastermind behind the massacre. Together with Hakim he brutally murdered Ehud Fogel, 36, Ruth Fogel, 35, 11-year-old Yoav, 4-year-old Elad and 2-month-old Hadas. His cousin helped him by holding down the children and shooting Ruth after Amjad stabbed her.

Last month, the court sentenced Hakim, 18, to five consecutive life sentences and another five years in prison - a total of 130 years behind bars. In court, Hakim claimed that security forces had tied up and killed two residents from his village last year.

"I'm 18 and am going through puberty. Not every young man at this age thinks of murder, just a Palestinian man whose land has been occupied. This is what the State does to me every day. When I want to leave my village, I need to undergo a search that always includes being beaten."

Moments before the sentence was read out, Hakim Awad managed to say that he was not sorry and explained that he murdered the Fogels "because of the occupation". The judges said then that they avoided sentencing him to death "because it wasn't effective with those kinds of people".
The judges say the death penalty would not be effective, are they sane?

The death penalty would keep these two from being part of a prisoner exchange down the road.

Some may say if Israel starts using the death penalty the Palestinians will respond in kind. Too late the Palestinians, are murdering Jewish babies.

Gush Emunim founder Hanan Porat passes away

Former MK Hanan Porat (67) who served in Knesset for nearly 15 years passes away in his Kfar Etzion home after long battle with cancer
Ynet

Hanan Porat, a prominent right wing Knesset Member and one of the leaders of the religious Zionism movement has passed away at his home in Kfar Etzion on Tuesday exactly seven years after his father passed away.

Porat (67) had been battling cancer for a while and was admitted to hospital on the eve of the Rosh Hashana holiday. He will be laid to rest on Wednesday at 11 am in the cemetery near his Kfar Etzion home.

Porat was one of the founders of Gush Emunim and the Tehiya party. He served as Knesset Member from 1981 to 1999 and was considered one of the leaders of the Yesha settlement movement.

Porat's father changed the family name from Shpitzer to Porat – his code name in the Hagana. Porat, who studied in a yeshiva and was ordained as a rabbi, served in the IDF as a paratrooper and took part in the battle of Jerusalem in the Six Day War. He also fought in the Yom Kippur War and sustained serious injuries in the Suez Canal.

Later on he became one of the founders of Gush Emunim and led the move to settle in Yesha. He was also a prominent member of the Mafdal (National Religious) party.

He was elected as Knesset Member in 1981 after founding the Tehiya party which came in response to the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.

In 1984 he resigned from the Knesset but returned three years later, this time as a Mafdal member. In 1999 he retired from Mafdal and moved to the Tkuma party and was not reelected.

A few years later Porat became a frontrunner in the protests against the Gaza disengagement. He composed a special prayer for the occasion and said at the time that "he who lends a hand in uprooting settlements hurts not only the settlers themselves but the Jewish legacy and the prayers of generations as well".

US scrambles to keep Palestinian Authority aid flowing

By REUTERS
04/10/2011
Obama administration in "intensive" discussions with key lawmakers who blocked some $200 million in Palestinian Authority aid, worried about impact of funding cut, says spokeswoman.

WASHINGTON - The Obama administration is lobbying Congress to unblock $200 million in aid for the Palestinian Authority that was frozen due to its bid for UN recognition of statehood over US and Israeli objections.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said on Monday the administration was in "intensive" discussions with key lawmakers who had put holds on the money, a financial lifeline for the fledgling Palestinian government-in-waiting.

"We still have some money in the pipeline but the concern is that if we don't get this going with the Congress in short order there could be an effect on the ground," Nuland told a news briefing.

"There have been some concerns in some parts of Congress and we are trying to work through those," she said.

Lawmakers in both the Senate and the House of Representatives have moved in recent weeks to freeze the flow of aid to the Palestinians that had been appropriated for fiscal year 2011.

Representative Kay Granger, the Republican chairwoman of the House subcommittee that oversees foreign aid, placed her hold in August "until the issue of statehood is resolved" at the United Nations, her spokesman, Matt Leffingwell, said.

"My boss is watching what is happening at the UN, and constantly reevaluating," he said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month submitted a formal application to the UN Security Council for recognition of Palestinian statehood, ignoring a US threat to veto the measure if it is put to vote.

The United States and Israel both say that Palestinian statehood can only come through resuming direct peace negotiations that collapsed a year ago.

Abbas has said he will only return to talks with a new settlement freeze, complicating efforts by the "Quartet" of Middle East peace mediators - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia - to get both sides back to the negotiating table quickly.
Israel should learn from Congress.

Stop ALL aid to the PA.

Better yet no water, no electricity, no money, no trucks full of aid, no movement of people.

Nothing should move in Gaza or Judea and Samaria that gives aid to the Palestinians.

Fatah Central Committee Member Abbas Zaki Calls Netanyahu and Obama
"Scumbags" and Says: "The Greater Goal Cannot Be Accomplished in One Go"

Following are excerpts from an interview with Abbas Zaki, member of the
Fatah Central Committee, which aired on the Al-Jazeera network on September
23, 2011.

Abbas Zaki: The settlement should be based upon the borders of June 4, 1967.
When we say that the settlement should be based upon these borders,
President [Abbas] understands, we understand, and everybody knows that the
greater goal cannot be accomplished in one go.

If Israel withdraws from Jerusalem, evacuates the 650,000 settlers, and
dismantles the wall â€“ what will become of Israel? It will come to an end.

[...]

Who is nervous, upset, and angry now? Netanyahu, Lieberman, and Obama... All
those scumbags. Why even get into this? We should be happy to see Israel
upset.

[...]

If we say that we want to wipe Israel out... C'mon, it's too difficult. It's
not [acceptable] policy to say so. Don't say these things to the world. Keep
it to yourself.

I want the resolutions that everybody agrees upon. I say to the world, to
the Quartet, and to America: You promised, and you turned out to be liars.

[...]

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization providing translations of the Middle East media and
original analysis and research on developments in the region. Copies of
articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are
available on request.
MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

Pipe Dreams End

Hamas PM: Only armed resistance will liberate Palestine
By JPOST.COM STAFF
02/10/2011
Haniyeh tells Tehran conference two-state solution, as proposed by the United States, European Union will fail.

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh told an audience in Tehran on Sunday that only armed resistance would liberate Palestinian land, and that a two-state solution with a Palestinian state existing side-by-side with Israel would fail.

Haniyeh, whose comments were transmitted to a video conference in the Iranian capital, said that only Intifada, or armed resistance, is capable of liberating "occupied Palestinian land" and "restoring the rights" of the Palestinian people.

Haniyeh continued to doubt Palestinian Authority efforts to work with the international community to gain recognition for a Palestinian state, saying that a two-state solution as recommended by the European Union and the United States was a fallacy, and insisted that it would fail.

The Hamas leader said that negotiations were a "mirage," and that only through armed resistance could Jerusalem and "the land" be liberated.

He urged Palestinian negotiators not to make any settlements given their failure to "restore the rights" of the Palestinian people, including the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Haniyeh has been consistently critical of the Palestinian Authority's efforts at the United Nations to gain state recognition, saying that "liberation" of the land comes before the "state."

The Hamas leader has dismissed the UN, saying the international body is "controlled by the Americans and others," and that its political orientation is "not beneficial."

So when we have the PA calling for liberation of all of Israel and Hamas calling for armed conflict, it is a good thing.

Let us be honest and say that peace is a pipe dream of western orientated individuals and countries that have zero idea of what the facts on the ground in the Middle East are.